One Chance
by Scribblesinink
Summary: Phoebe wonders if she made the right choice to let Cole live. When the Powers That Be find out what she did, they are not pleased.


Author's note: I wrote this after seeing 'Sleuthing with the Enemy'. It is NOT canon. Originally I planned to write a little ditty to explore Phoebe's guilt about lying to her sisters. The story had a different idea though, and this is what came out.  
  
  
ONE CHANCE  
  
  
The leaves rustled when he inched closer to the lighted window. Since nightfall he had sat here in the shrubs and the damp ground was getting uncomfortable. He shifted position again, yet he never took his eyes off of the window. It was as if his gaze was welded to the tableau inside. Welded to the young woman that sat motionless on a pale couch printed with pink roses. His love. His life.  
  
A car drew up in front of the mansion and he slunk away deeper into the shadows. He watched the driver, a woman he knew well, walk up the stairs. She opened the front door and disappeared inside. Only then did he creep closer to the glass again, drawn almost against his will, and peered in.  
  
"Hey, Pheebs, still up?" Prue asked when she saw her youngest sister sit on the sofa.  
  
"Yeah. Wanted to finish this book." Phoebe lifted the book from her lap and waved it at Prue.  
  
"Okay. Don't stay up too late. You've got classes tomorrow."  
  
"Yes, 'mom'." Phoebe smirked and rolled her eyes. Prue shook her head, laughed, and turned up the stairs. As soon as she was out of sight, the grin disappeared from Phoebe's face. She let the book fall back in her lap and resumed staring at the far wall.  
  
Outside, the silent watcher pulled even closer until he could rest his forehead against the cool glass. He had stood like this every night for the past month.   
  
And every night it was torture. How he longed to go inside, to take her in his arms, to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to kiss her, to make her smile again. He missed her laughter that twinkled like little bells. He missed the way her eyes lit up when she talked about the things she enjoyed. Like her favorite book, or her favorite movie.   
  
Instead of laughter, he witnessed her guilt and the doubt that devoured her. Guilt that she had lied to her sisters. Doubt that she had let him live. He longed to tell her how grateful he was, that he fought hard to keep his demon half buried.   
  
Life as a demon had been so much simpler. As Belthazor, he knew no grief, no pain, no remorse or guilt. As Cole, he experienced all these emotions. It was difficult to be a human. Difficult to learn and live with this newfound humanity, with the heart that caused him so much pain. Still, he would do it. For Phoebe. Oh, if only he could go to her.  
  
Phoebe closed the book, placed in on the sidetable near the couch and switched off the light. It didn't matter much to Cole; his vision was good enough to make out her form as she walked from the living room and up the stairs. "Good night, Phoebe," he whispered. His breath fogged the window. Then he shimmered and was gone. Until the next night.  
  
* * *  
  
A thin ray of sunlight played across Leo's face and pulled him from a deep sleep. He squinted at the light's brightness. A smile curled his lips when he noticed the dark-haired head that rested on his chest. Piper. It wasn't often that he got to wake up with her in his arms and he said a silent prayer of thanks to the Powers That Be for leaving him in peace this night. He gazed down at her face as she slept. She was so beautiful. Her beauty was on the inside as well as out and Leo could never thank his lucky stars enough for being assigned as her White Lighter.  
  
He took a lock of her hair and twirled it around his fingers. So soft, so silken. He tickled her cheek with the loose strands and chuckled when Piper wrinkled her nose. She didn't wake up. Again he tickled her and she gave a little sneeze. "Bless ya," Leo grinned as she blinked owlishly up at him.  
  
"Hey, good morning." Piper smiled and rested her chin on his chest. "This is nice, waking up like this."  
  
"It is, isn't it?" Leo placed a small kiss on the top of her head. "Wish we could do it more often."   
  
"Yes." Piper averted her gaze and her face clouded for a moment.  
  
Leo frowned. "What is it? What's bothering you?"  
  
Piper sighed. "It's Phoebe," she said. "It's not fair. How can I be so happy, while she is so miserable?"  
  
Leo shrugged. What could he say?  
  
Piper sat up. "I worry about her. Ever since she vanquished Belthazor, she has been withdrawn. Prue and I hoped she'd get over it but... Leo, I'm afraid that she's only sinking deeper into a depression. And no matter how much we tell her she did the right thing..." Piper shook her head. "It's as if she doesn't want to hear us."  
  
"Want me to talk to her?" Leo asked.  
  
"Would you?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
* * *  
  
"Prue? Can I borrow your car today? I want to do some shopping after class."  
  
"Uhm..." Prue's forehead wrinkled while she ran over her schedule for the day. "Sure. I don't need it this morning. As long as you get it back here by four. And don't forget to fill it up!"  
  
"I will. And I won't. Thanks, Prue." Phoebe hugged her older sister and took the keys from the table. She grabbed her backpack with her schoolbooks, gave a little wave at her two sisters and Leo at the breakfast table and walked out the door.  
  
When she came to the corner Phoebe hesitated. She should go right, that was the way to college and her classes.   
  
She switched on the blinker and turned left. Fifteen minutes later she stopped the car. She took care where she parked it; she didn't want to explain another parking ticket to Prue. A ticket collected at Cole's, when she was supposed to be in school.  
  
Phoebe locked the car and glanced up at the windows of the building. She had been coming here often. The landlord hadn't released the apartment to a new tenant yet; Cole had paid the lease for several months ahead. "What am I doing here?" Phoebe muttered when she entered the building and made for the stairs. Cole wasn't going to come back. Still, it gave her some solace to spend time in the rooms where she had known such happiness. And such sorrow, when she found out who Cole really was.   
  
She opened door and slipped inside. The blinds were drawn and the air was beginning to smell musty. Perhaps she should open a window. Phoebe trailed a finger across the cabinet and left a mark in the dust on the surface. She wandered through the rooms without aim or purpose. Living room, bathroom, bedroom. She inhaled deeply. If she tried, she could still smell his scent. That Cole smell that she had loved so much. She plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Tears welled in her eyes. Had she done the right thing when she spared his life? She would never forgive herself if anyone got hurt because she didn't vanquish Belthazor when she had the chance. Where was he now? Was he being good? Or had she made a mistake and was he busy scheming to kill her and her sisters? To kill the Charmed Ones and get back in the Source's good graces?  
  
* * *  
  
The air outside apartment number seven whirled and a small creature solidified, crouched beside the stairs. Pointed ears stuck through dark green hair and his yellow eyes flickered back and forth across the hallway. He raised his face and sniffed the air. Yes. The witch was here. Again.   
  
If the rumors were true, and Belthazor was still alive, she could tell him where to find the traitor. To present Belthazor's head to the Source would give him instant fame and fortune. That's what he craved: fame and fortune. No longer would the other demons joke that he gave new meaning to the word 'underling' or laugh behind his back at his small stature. Troll, they called him when they thought he wasn't listening. Goblin. Tom Thumb. He gritted his razor-sharp teeth. A thin, split tongue slithered across full lips. Not for much longer they would! Wait until he killed the great Belthazor. They would whisper the name Croth with awe and fear. He would see to it. But for that, he needed the witch.   
  
She was alone, he smelled it. And she would give him the information he needed. He would suck the knowledge right out of her brain. That was his power, his strength. To obtain knowledge. Most demons went for the eyes, the windows to the soul. Not him. The ear formed the entrance to the brain. And Croth had the means to access the brain and the knowledge therein. Again he flicked his tongue across his lips. It wasn't his fault that acquiring their knowledge left his victims comatose plants without a thought, was it?  
  
He tiptoed toward the door and wrapped his hand around the knob when the tinkle of bells alerted him to the arrival of a White Lighter. He growled in disappointment and shimmered away.  
  
* * *  
  
Leo rubbed his arms and shivered. A cold breeze blew through the hallway and he looked around with wary eyes. When he saw no imminent danger he crossed the hall and cautiously opened the door to the former assistant district attorney's apartment. "Phoebe?" He didn't have to ask; he knew she was here. He had seen Prue's car parked outside. Besides, he had his ways to know such things. But he didn't want to frighten her. "Phoebe?"  
  
"Leo?" She appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, her eyes red. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing," he said. "Piper wanted me to talk to you. She is worried about you."  
  
"There's no need. I'm fine."  
  
Leo grimaced. "You don't look fine. And why are you here instead of in class? Phoebe, what is that you're hiding?"  
  
She blinked and turned away. "Nothing. I miss Cole, that's all. I know what he was but I still miss him. Is there a rule against that too?" Her tone was full of bravado but Leo heard something else beneath it. Fear? What could she be afraid of?  
  
He breathed in sharply when it hit him. The rumors. The way Phoebe avoided her sisters. The ease with which she had supposedly finished Belthazor. "You didn't vanquish him, did you?" he asked softly.  
  
Phoebe's head snapped up and she stared at him. She didn't answer; she didn't need to. The look she cast him -guilt, fear, defiance- said it all.   
  
"By the Light, Phoebe!"  
  
"He saved my life, Leo. Krell was about to blow me away when Cole killed him." A single tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice so low that he had to strain to make out the words. "I couldn't do it. He said he loved me. That he wouldn't hurt me. And I believed him."  
  
"What about everyone else?" Leo asked. "What if he hurts them?"  
  
"I know," Phoebe sobbed. "That's what I can't stop thinking about. What if I made the wrong choice? Oh Leo, I feel so bad about lying to you and Prue and Piper!"  
  
Despite his anger Leo also sympathized with Phoebe. Love could be a powerful force. Hadn't he and Piper broken the rules several times during their courtship? Still, to let a demon go free...  
  
He drew Phoebe in his arms, stroked her hair. "At the very least you should tell your sisters," he said. "And I will have to inform the Council."  
  
"No!" she cried. She pulled away. "When the Council knows, the Source won't be far behind! Everyone will hunt him!"  
  
"Phoebe, we can't keep this from Them. It is too important. This is one instance where we cannot break the rules."  
  
She examined him for a long moment. Her shoulders slumped. "I suppose you're right. I... I would like to stay here a moment longer? I promise I'll tell Prue and Piper the minute I get home." Her eyes pleaded with him.  
  
Leo hesitated. "Well...okay. Remember, as soon as you come home." With a sparkling of light, he disappeared.  
  
* * *  
  
Phoebe stared at the spot Leo had vacated. She wiped the tears from her cheeks. Amazingly, it was a relief. The secret was out and she needed no longer carry it in her heart, where it chafed and rankled.  
  
She turned to go back to the bedroom and get her purse. A cold breeze wafted over her and she made a mental note to close the windows before she left. She rubbed her arms at the sudden chill.  
  
"Phoebe."  
  
She stopped dead in her tracks, rooted to the floor. Her heart jumped in her throat. That was... "Cole?" She lifted her eyes. He stood at the far end of the room, unshaven, unkempt. Her lips were curling in an uncertain smile when Cole raised his left palm and released a blue energy bolt. It whooshed past her and scorched her cheek.   
  
Phoebe screamed. Fear, shock, horror, it all mingled in the sound. She dove into the bedroom and crawled beneath the bed. It wouldn't offer much protection against Belthazor's power but Phoebe couldn't just stand there and allow him to kill her. Sobs wrung from her throat. How could he do this? How could he betray her *again*? Had she been so wrong about him?  
  
"Phoebe? Are you okay? It's safe to come out now."  
  
"Go away!" she screamed. Her voice cracked.  
  
"Phoebe, please. I'm not going to hurt you." Cole spoke again, his voice soft and seductive.  
  
"Kill me and get it over with or leave me the hell alone!!"  
  
She braced herself for the power bolt that would undoubtedly strike. A minute passed. Two minutes. Nothing happened. Phoebe released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "Cole?" No reply.  
  
She stuck her head out from beneath the bed. Nothing. The room was empty. Not sure what it meant but knowing she couldn't stay here, she rolled away from the bed and got back to her feet. A quick peek around the door told her that the other room was also empty.   
  
She gasped when she saw the dark scorch mark on the wall, right about where she had stood when Cole cast his fire at her. A few tendrils of foul-smelling smoke wafted up. It didn't take a genius to recognize the stink of vanquished demon. Her heart skipped a beat. Cole had not been trying to kill her! He had saved her life. Again.  
  
Guilt washed over her. Guilt that she had doubted him, that she told him to leave. "Cole?" she called, hoping against hope that perhaps he was nearby, close enough to hear her. She received no response. Cole was gone.  
  
* * *  
  
The old boar pricked up its ears. It raised its snout and sniffed. Its beady eyes watched as the cold night air began to whirl. Sudden fear struck its heart and it scurried away through the undergrowth in search of a place to hide. Other animals of the forest followed the boar's example. An owl hooted and took flight. Rodents dug in. Soon the forest was silent. But not for long.  
  
A howl full of pain and rage echoed through the dark night. Far to the south a pack of wolves lifted their heads to respond. The air whirled again, shimmered, and a large, red creature appeared. Belthazor laid his bald head in his strong neck and howled again. He struck out blindly; his fist connected with the ancient spruce tree beside him. Again he struck. And again. Until at last the tree, withered by age and weather, could no longer withstand the onslaught. Snap! With a loud crack it split lengthwise so its branches drooped sadly.  
  
Still Belthazor raged on. He pounded through the woods, kicking and lashing at trees. The animals of the night cleared a wide path; they could smell the danger, the evil as it approached.  
  
At last he came to the edge of the forest. Far away, behind the mountains to the east, the sky cleared a light pink. Here, in this part of the world, as far away from San Francisco as he could shimmer, the night was over and a new day dawned.  
  
A branch snapped to Belthazor's left and his head whipped around. He bared pointed teeth and pulled the bushes apart. A small boy, maybe seven years of age, gawked up at the burly, red creature. In his hand he held a rope that led to the neck of a scraggly goat. Belthazor snarled, grabbed the boy by the throat and lifted him high.   
  
Frozen with fear, the child gazed at him with the dark, slanted eyes of the people that lived in this region. The rage still coursed through Belthazor's veins. It would be easy to unleash that anger upon the boy. All it took was a flick of his wrist and the child's neck would snap.  
  
"NO!" Belthazor/Cole screamed and morphed into his human form. His fist unclenched and the boy dropped to the floor. The impact broke the child's terror and he scrambled backwards, climbed to his feet and ran off, little legs pumping fast. The goat bleated its protest as it followed him.   
  
"No." Cole fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around himself as he sobbed. He was not going to commit that final act of betrayal. She had loved him, had allowed him to live. And he would not prove her wrong by allowing Belthazor to kill another human. Not. Ever. Again.  
  
Still, it hurt so damn much! How could he ever demonstrate to Phoebe that he told her the truth? That he had changed, that he had refound his humanity? She had let him live, yet she didn't trust him near her. She had jumped to conclusions, never gave him the chance to explain. How was he going to vindicate his claim of change?  
  
Down below in the valley, among the ramshackle huts of a small farmers' village, angry voices rose. The boy had reached his home.  
  
Cole picked himself up. He couldn't let them see him. That's why he had chosen this spot near the Tian Shan mountains deep in Asia. Not many humans lived in this land. Matter of fact, he hadn't even known the village existed; he must have run far on his rampage through the spruce forest.  
  
Before the villagers could come for him, he faded back among the trees.  
  
* * *  
  
"Prue? Piper?" Phoebe opened the front door.  
  
"In here!" Piper called.   
  
Phoebe dumped her bag with unused schoolbooks at the bottom of the stairs and went into the living room. She didn't relish this conversation. But she had made a promise to Leo: she would tell her sisters about the deception as soon as she got home.  
  
"Hi," she greeted them and scuffed at the floor with her toe.   
  
Prue frowned and Piper raised her eyebrows. "What's up?" she asked.   
  
"Uhm..." Phoebe's eyes traveled around the room. She looked at the clock, the ceiling, the garden outside. Anywhere but at her two sisters.   
  
"Phoebe--" Prue began. Piper put a hand on her arm to silence her.  
  
"I have a confession to make," Phoebe said. She took a deep breath. "I... didn't vanquish Cole... Belthazor... I vanquished his shirt..."  
  
"You did what?!" Prue sprang up from her chair.  
  
"Phoebe!" Piper cried at the same time.  
  
Phoebe shrugged and stared at the carpet beneath her feet. "I'm sorry," she said. "I lied to you. I know you're mad with me and you have every right. I should have told you--"  
  
"You sure should have!" Prue said. Her eyes flashed. "Phoebe, let me get this straight. Are you telling us we thought ourselves safe while you let that demon get away so he could plot how to kill us?"  
  
"No!" Phoebe cried. "He's not plotting against us. I know he isn't! He's changed." As the words left her mouth, she realized she was trying to convince herself as much as her sisters. "He saved my life. Twice."  
  
"Woah, what do you mean, twice?" Piper asked. "Krell? And?"  
  
"I don't know what demon it was," Phoebe said. "I never saw it." She explained the events at Cole's apartment.  
  
"I don't care that he saved your life," Prue said. Piper glared at her and she amended, "I mean, I do care that you're all right. But that doesn't change the fact that Belthazor is a dangerous demon that should be vanquished. Right away. Piper, do you still have some of that slice left? We need to brew another potion."  
  
"Let's not be hasty. He is also half human," Piper reminded her.   
  
Phoebe cast her sister a grateful look. "And I love him," she sighed. She sank down on the couch.  
  
Prue threw incredulous looks from one sister to the other. "You two have lost your minds! Do I need to refresh your memories about what he did to us? All Hallows Eve? Troxa? Andras? Which reminds me," she turned to Phoebe, "you lied to us! You deceived us. And what are They going to say when They find out? They might be so mad They strip us all of our powers!"  
  
"They won't," Leo said. The three sisters whirled around at the sound of his voice. They had been so intent upon each other that none had heard him appear. "At least I think They won't. But They are not pleased. They want to speak with you, Phoebe. You have to come with me. Right away."  
  
"Why? What are They going to do to her?" Piper demanded. "Leo?"  
  
Phoebe stood up and with a small shrug walked over to Leo. He wrapped his arms around her and together they disappeared from the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Three weeks later Phoebe still wasn't returned to the Halliwell mansion. Leo couldn't tell the sisters anything. "I'm not privy to Their conversation," he told Piper when she begged him for some news.   
  
"What's taking them so long?"  
  
"Remember that time up There is different from down here. Phoebe will be all right," he assured her. "They won't hurt her. They're mad, for sure but--"  
  
And every night in those three weeks, Cole stood vigil in the shadows beside the window, unnoticed by anyone. He prayed to catch a glimpse of Phoebe, to hear the sound of her voice. There was no sign of her. What had happened? He had destroyed the underling before the demon could strike, hadn't he?  
  
At last Cole could no longer hold still. He needed to know, or he would go crazy wondering. One night, a moonless night with the chill fog rolling in from the bay, he ascended the stairs to the front door and knocked. Piper answered.  
  
She paled as she recognized him. "Belthazor!"  
  
She raised her hands and he jumped back.   
  
"Please don't freeze me."   
  
Piper stopped in mid-motion but held her hands up high. Cole kept a wary eye on her hands. All it would take was a little flip and time would come to a halt.  
  
Prue appeared behind Piper. "What do you want?" she demanded when she recognized their late night visitor. "Haven't you wreaked enough havoc yet?"  
  
Cole hung his head. Prue never liked him much. If he thought it would be hard to convince Phoebe of his good intentions, it would be nigh impossible to convince Prue. Still, that wasn't important at the moment.  
  
"Where is Phoebe? Is she okay?" he asked. "Please. I need to know."  
  
"We don't know," Piper said. "When the Council found out she misled all of us, They called her up. She's been gone for three weeks."  
  
Cole's head snapped up. "The Council?" Their wrath could be a terrible thing. All demons knew that. "Let me speak with Them," he pleaded. "It's not Phoebe's fault. I made her do it. I'll give myself up. For Phoebe."  
  
"What makes you think we have a direct line upstairs?" Prue said. She cocked her head and studied him.  
  
"Leo. He's your White Lighter, isn't he? The way he healed me--" The chime of small bells interrupted Cole.   
  
"Leo!" Piper cried.   
  
He appeared with Phoebe in his arms.   
  
"Phoebe!" Three voices called in unison. Phoebe smiled a wan smile and as soon as Leo let her go, she slumped to the floor.   
  
"Cole," she whispered when she caught her breath.  
  
He crossed the threshold, unmindful of the two sisters and what they might do when he entered uninvited. All he saw, was Phoebe. Her face was pale; dark circles had formed beneath her eyes. It was clear she had been through a lot. She reached out to him; he knelt at her side and took her in his arms. Her dark, tired eyes looked up at him and he thought he could drown in their depths. His Phoebe.  
  
"I convinced Them," she said. "I talked and talked and talked. The Council agreed at last. They will give you a chance." Her eyes closed and she fainted but Cole's heart swelled with sudden hope.  
  
He looked up at the others gathered around them and finally settled on Leo's face.   
  
"It's true," the White Lighter confirmed when he caught the question in Cole's eyes. "I don't know what she said but They agreed to give you the opportunity to prove your humanity."  
  
Prue caught his gaze. "You have one chance," she said. "If you muck up even once, I'll hunt you to the corners of the world and vanquish you myself."  
  
Cole nodded. Yes. One chance was all he needed.  
  
-END-  
  
Disclaimer: this story is based on the Spelling Television/WB Television Network series 'Charmed'. All characters belong to their original owners. The story is meant for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement was intended.  



End file.
